Digitization of Paper Transcripts for TSTC

Texas State Technical College (TSTC) is soliciting qualified vendors to digitize approximately 60,000 fragile paper transcripts spanning the 1960s to the 1990s, representing 120,000 total pages, at its Harlingen campus. The project requires secure physical pickup and return of all original documents with full chain-of-custody documentation, meticulous handling to prevent damage, and high-resolution scanning at a minimum of 300 DPI. All digitized records must be transformed into text-searchable PDFs with indexed metadata including student name, ID, date of birth, and Social Security number, adhering to strict file-naming conventions. OCR accuracy must exceed 98% for machine-typed text and image legibility must reach at least 99.5% for non-defective originals. Vendors must employ AES-256 encryption for data at rest and SFTP for data in transit, hold active SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and ISO 9001 certifications, and strictly comply with FERPA and other privacy regulations. The use of offsite processing or foreign labor requires prior written approval, and no project data may be used for AI training. Initial sample deliverables must be submitted for TSTC review prior to full-scale production, and periodic quality reports detailing defect rates, rescans, and corrective actions are mandatory. All final digital files must be returned on encrypted external hard drives, and original paper records must be returned intact for proper disposal. Proposals are evaluated on technical approach (35 points), past experience and quality controls (25 points), sample quality and timeline feasibility (15 points), overall pricing reasonableness (20 points), and prior experience serving Texas higher education institutions (5 points), with award determined through a trade-off process favoring technical excellence over lowest cost. Proposals must be submitted exclusively through TSTC’s designated portal by May 26, 2026, and no email submissions are accepted. No formal FAR clauses, CLINs, or funding account identifiers are included, and the contract type is expected to be firm-fixed price. The sole point of contact for the solicitation is Catherine Lopez at solicitations@tstc.edu.